Apart from pricey trips to Universal Studios and the odd Spanish “Krasty Burger” location, it’s basically impossible for us humans to enter the cartoon world of The Simpsons. That being said, one lucky person somewhere in America is driving around in Homer Simpson’s car, hopefully keeping their eyes peeled for chestnut trees.
For the entire time that the show has been on the air, Homer has been driving around in his trademark pink sedan, although there’s been some debate as to what type of car it is exactly. One fan wiki page called it a “1973 Plymouth Valiant” until a Season 28 episode referred to it as a “1986 Plymouth Junkerolla.” Oh, and it was apparently built in Croatia using “old Soviet tanks.”
Simpsons fans recently noticed that just last month, an exact replica of Homer’s car was listed for sale in Muskegon, Michigan, according to an ad posted on Facebook Marketplace. The modified 1967 Plymouth Valiant came with a $25,000 price tag and is currently listed as “sold.”
The ad noted that it was one of two Simpsons cars that the seller worked on, and contains every detail a die-hard would expect — from the crinkled fender to the bent antennae. He even installed custom bench seating with “TV matched color and stitching,” and outfitted it with canonically-appropriate “Junkerolla” emblems. It’s pretty impressive.
The car’s creator, Tim Updyke, told a local news station that he didn’t intend to sell the car over Facebook, he was just “more or less showing it off.” But the first of the two cars he modded did end up selling there because someone reached out and emphatically told him: “I have to have that thing.”
Updyke, who’s also created custom-made Jurassic Park Jeeps and ECTO-1s, now says that the second Simpsons car will be headed to the Volo Car Museum in Illinois for everyone to enjoy.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that one of Homer’s cars has been brought to life by fans. In 2013, a team competing in the “24 Hours of LeMons” race — like Le Mans, but with goofier cars — constructed a recreation of “The Homer,” Homer’s ridiculous car design that bankrupted his half-brother Herb. It even came with a Squishee holder and a “Bort” license plate.
The real-life car earned praise from Simpsons creator Matt Groening, who signed the fan-made “Homer,” and writer Al Jean, who actually went for a ride in the cursed vehicle.
But “The Homer” only showed up that one time, Homer’s sedan has been in almost every episode. So it would be pretty cool to own.
While we don’t know who bought the first Simpsons car on Facebook, hopefully they have enough money left over to buy that “90 percent normal” Simpsons replica house in Nevada in order to complete the set.